Skepticism

EVENTS

Mehreen, Nighat, Sana, Nabiha

This sounds so familiar. It’s an account of feminists being harassed and vilified on twitter and blogs, with misogynists creating multiple twitter accounts to insult, photoshopping photos to degrade, trolling and labeling and sneering at women who speak out.

What is disappointing is that no one will view this as violence against women. No one will say that this is cyber harassment. No, if these women even dare to call this cyber harassment, they will be called attention-seekers, whiners, immature. Every time a woman is attacked, and she fights back, she is the one who is vilified. No one will see that someone made a rape threat to a woman, but instead, they will say, look at her foul language, look at how rudely she is speaking. Is one really supposed to cheek-kiss someone and smile sweetly when they’ve issued rape threats to them? No wait, I forgot. If someone makes a rape threat, you take it like the good little woman that you are.

It’s taking place in Pakistan. You would think the people in the West who do exactly the same thing would feel a little shame at the company they keep, but I don’t expect that level of self-awareness from them, unfortunately.

I kinda got dissed at Huffignton Post yesterday for pointing out that so many of the commenters on a thread about a grown woman being sentenced for having sex wit6h minor boys were saying “way to go, boys” and how such a thing “isn’t really a crime” and etc. There were some very patronizing responses to that comment indeed

Honestly, I think this should be a given, and is the best general strategy.

It should be a given, but there are a lot of people out there who are already feeling too intimidated and don’t wish to paint a target on their foreheads. Then there are all those who look and think “not my fight, my little world is cosy and sexism-free!”

Of course not. Those guys are Moooslims. It’s totally different when they do it.

Yup. When ‘mercans do it, they are trying to preserve the Red Blooded American HeMan, save the world, make women happy, reduce the national debt, and feed the starving starlings. When Muslims do it, they are being misogynists. Clear?

You guys clearly don’t understand the different situations at play here. Let me ‘splain it to you:

1. This is Different, Because Reasons.

2. Real Misogyny only happens in Other Countries, and then, mostly by Brown People.

3. It’s Okay to do this to Western Women, because it’s Totally Different.

Is that clear enough for you? Once you reach a certain level of Not-Being-Dragged-Into-The-Streets-And-Beheaded-For-Running-Away-From-The-Man-You-Were-Forced-To-Marry-At-Fourteen, you really have nothing left to be legitimately concerned about.

No, Ogvorbis, you were right the first time. After all, isn’t it the Red Blooded Manly Murikans’ job to save everyone in the world from themselves? The Pakistanis hate us for the freedoms we give our women! Even if a lot of them are freedoms in name only!

Of course not. Those guys are Moooslims. It’s totally different when they do it.

According to MRAs, ‘Real misogyny’ is just like trhe end of the rainbow – it is always just over there, but never here.

In their eyes, misogyny is the preserve of dirty foreigners because Dear Muslima. To these oblivious dudebros, the second women go the vote we entered a post-sexist age, and anyone who points out contemporary sexism is a shrill castrating feminazi

My attempt at ‘splainin the difference:1. Foreigners hate women.
2. I don’t hate all women.
3. I just hate those sluts with boobs who don’t have sex with me.

There was a picture of a woman in a turtleneck in the imgur gallery yesterday (can’t link right now). Caption: Beautiful without the slutty.
Which just made me think, does this mean turtlenecks are officially the western burqua? Fortunately, the the comments section was heartening.

A turtleneck does eliminate that evil, distracting cleavage, though, so it’s good girl wear*.

Meh. Turtlenecks are some of the worst offenders; something about the neckline makes my breasts look even more cartoonishly large. The only way to be sure to not be slutty is to stay at home in a loose-fitting smock and floor-length, a-line denim skirt with the blinds closed.

Okay, it’s not the only way. Nuking the planet from orbit is also an option.

Well, now, the photo was only from the waist up, so this girl could’ve been wearing a miniskirt or (shock, horror) letting it all hang out.

Funny how this thread didn’t explode into several hundred comments of people griping that those poor men in Pakistan are being demonized, and they aren’t nearly so bad as they’re being made out to be, the way that other thread did when it was men in the US being criticized. And by “funny” I mean “fucking typical”.

Meh. Turtlenecks are some of the worst offenders; something about the neckline makes my breasts look even more cartoonishly large. The only way to be sure to not be slutty is to stay at home in a loose-fitting smock and floor-length, a-line denim skirt with the blinds closed.

But that’s the point. Women should dress to entice men, but not so much that they look like Sluts.

How do you know where the line is? If you get raped, you did it wrong.